22 May, 2009

The photo is of the VO Polyvalent (multi-purpose) frame described here. (Tom was fitting one of the new Taiwan-made racks to it.)

As soon as we get a firm delivery date from the factory we'll start taking deposits for the first production run. I'd guess that they will arrive around the end of September. The main differences from the photo are that the color will be dark gray and there will be an extended head tube. It will be available in four sizes initally, 51 x 54cm, 54 x 56cm, 57 x 59cm, and 60 x 61cm. Remember that it's designed for city bars so the top tube is longer than on a rando frame. We'll add more sizes on the next run.

The introductory price for the frame and fork will be $400, plus shipping. That price will go up on subsequent production runs.

The mixte frame is also progressing nicely. It will initially be available in 51, 54, and 57cm sizes. We don't have pricing yet.

We are also working on the lugged Rando frame and have decided that the introductory price for that frame and fork will be $750. With luck they will arrive just after the Polyvalent frames.

31 comments:

Going for a ride and picnic to the local conservation land (a former apple farm, now populated by "oreo" cows). This will be on my 1972 Schwinn Sports Tourer, towing my daughter on her Trek trailer bike, and following my other daughter on her Fuji road bike (24" wheels on that one). Several V-O sourced bits adorning each of these, from bottle cages and mounts to bars to racks. Should be fun!

Greetings,My eyesight is not what it was 25 years ago and I had to reread the post. $400 for the fork/frame.? Must be an error? Santa Claus in May?I'm working tonight, but off for an extended weekend. I need socks for the winter and may take a beautiful ride up to Farm Way in Bradford (VT). I don't need much of an excuse or reason to take a ride. Come to think of it, riding that new "city bike of yours" is appealing.I enjoy your post.

The new frame looks wonderful, and the price makes it even more wonderful-er! Any chance you could provide some help for the frame-sizing-challenged? I need a pretty small frame ... standover needs to be no more than about 30". Would the 51 size frame work okay for me? Thanks!

Perhaps, then, Chris should begin stocking cigarettes, backhoes, Hustlers, fancy fountain pens, wood burning kits, unicycles, and flower seeds. I bet he has customers who buy all of these things. He has to make the call somewhere. M Burdge

You know, of the many cycling-related blogs I read, the commenters here have to be the most arrogant, rude, and heartless bunch around.

So Chris chooses not to stock EVERYTHING that YOU want ... so what? Buy it somewhere else.

So a frame doesn't have EVERYTHING just perfectly the way YOU want ... go and find one that does, for the same price. I'll bet you can't even come close. You could, of course, spend several times more for a full custom frame and wait a couple of years to get it.

It's people like you who must make people like Chris wonder why they work so hard. Who would ever want a customer like you? It's not just about the money, you know. It's about making what you believe in ... loving what you do ... and hoping that enough other people love what you offer to keep your business afloat.

How about being happy and thrilled that Chris and his team offer so many wonderful products, rather than angry that there are a few that aren't available from his small operation? How about buying the different things you want from the places that sell them and supporting multiple American small businesses in the process?

Oh, and don't forget about all the posts in which Chris does, in fact, ask about your opinion when designing Velo Orange products or considering stock items. How many shops do that? Not many that I know of.

Go ride your bike, breathe some fresh air, and get happy about something. Be glad you HAVE a bike to ride, and that you actually do have so many choices in how to equip it, and that there are many dealers to choose from in making your selections.

I'll second that. There are some ungrateful snobs around here. Don't you guys/gals have anything better to do than whine about bike parts? I wish I had more time to ride my bike, and more money to spend on all these lovely products. Thats what I think about day to day. We are so lucky to have companies like VO and Riv around supplying smart and beautiful bicycles! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I'm so excited about this frame that I'm already stocking up the parts to build a bike out of it.

I'm thinking that I'd like to have fenders and chainguard powder coated locally to match the stock color when it comes out. Will there be some kind of universal paint code available to make this possible?